Culinary Class Wars Season 2: What is the Paik Jong-won controversy? Explained in depth

Culinary Class Wars Season 2 isn't just making headlines for the return of the cooking battle and new twists right from the beginning. It has also made a lot of fans curious about one of the judges, Paik Jong-won.

So, what is the Paik Jong-won controversy related to Culinary Class Wars Season 2? Well, it claims that there are major issues related to the well-known chef and businessman, including accusations about how he behaved in the television industry to legal and ethical questions involving food safety, labeling, and business practices connected to his company, TheBorn Korea.

Considering this, many viewers are questioning whether it's ethical to let Paik Jong-won continue to serve as the judge alongside Ahn Sun-jae in Season 2. One of the major controversies talks about Paik misusing his influence during his time on the 2015 variety competition My Little Television.

Reportedly, producer Kim Jae-hwan publicly alleged in early 2025 that Paik put a lot of demands on the broadcaster, like working only with the staff he personally chose. Not only that, but Kim also claimed that Paik was involved in casting decisions due to which producers had to apologize sometimes.

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Culinary Class Wars Season 2: The Paik Jong-won controversy explained

Since the release of Culinary Class Wars Season 2, there have been controversies about judge Paik Jong-won. While many adore him and respect him as one of the most talented personalities in the Korean culinary world, there are many accusing him of several issues.

As explained above, former MBC producer Kim Jae-hwan accused Paik Jong-won of misusing his influence and connections. However, another producer from the same program stated that Paik did not abuse power and instead worked wth full determination and fairness to ensure the show is successful.

The producer also recalled the "positive memory" he has with the Culinary Class Wars Season 2 judge and said:

"He worked with staff he met for the first time on set."

Apart from these allegations, Paik Jong-won and his company TheBorn Korea have been repeatedly criticized over food safety rules and how their products are presented to consumers. The most serious issue is about a soybean paste that was advertised to consumers as being made with completely local ingredients.

However, authorities later investigated claims that it actually contained fermented paste imported from China, which would break labeling laws. There were other questions related to how this paste was made in aplace where raw material from outside isn't allowed.

And if intentional deception had been proven, the penalties could have included major fines or even jail time. However, the Culinary Class Wars Season 2's judge and his company didn't accept the accusations.

There were other controversies related to video evidence from 2024 showing unsafe gas equipment being used indoors. This led to Paik Jong-won facing notable backlash in early 2025.

Legally, police decided there was not enough evidence to charge Paik personally over labeling issues. However, TheBorn Korea and two executives were still indicted.

After all this, Paik Jong-won apologized and even reduced his TV appearances and offered financial support to franchise owners. And now, he continues as a judge on Culinary Class Wars Season 2, leading to mixed responses from viewers.

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Culinary Class Wars Season 2 producers break the silence on Paik Jon-won controversy

Since many viewers of Culinary Class Wars Season 2 are bringing up the Paik Jong-won controversy, the producers finally share what they think. Producer Kim Hak-min mentioned that the team takes viewers' feedback seriously.

He also added:

"We will listen to any feedback and prepare for the next steps with viewer opinions in mind."

The producer didn't take Paik Jong-won's name and even explained that Season 2 has just come out, so nothing can be changed this time, and that it's "too early" to talk about the show's future.

Kim also shed light on the changes in Season 2, like the hidden White Spoon chefs' twist and the elimination round. Kim said:

"Many viewers wanted the chefs to compete head-on through cooking alone. This time, the concept is to go all the way with cooking. More dishes are expected to be born compared to Season 1."

Season 2 has 13 episodes, and the finale will come out next year in January. The battle has already begun and a few chefs have been eliminated in the first three episodes.

So, make sure that you don't miss out on this popular show on Netflix every Tuesday.

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